1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a vacuum-packed fish product and relates in particular to vacuum-packed gefilte fish processed and vacuum-packed in a tomato base admixture.
2. Description of Prior Developments
Gefilte fish is a well known food product commercially available in numerous formulations. It is available as a fresh product, frozen product or as a sealed and vacuum-packed product. Typically, when it is sealed and vacuum-packed, it is immersed in a sauce or suspended in a gelled liquid.
According to conventional thought and experience, it has not been possible to satisfactorily vacuum pack gefilte fish in a tomato base sauce. The reason for this is that during the vacuum sealing process, the temperature of the fish product and its packing liquid or sauce is raised to a temperature of at least about 250 degrees Fahrenheit, and in many cases even higher.
As a result, all known prior attempts to vacuum pack minced fish products, such as gefilte fish, in a tomato base liquid or sauce have produced an undesirable burnt taste which has been found unacceptable to most palates. The high vacuum packing temperatures apparently cause a reaction in at least some of the ingredients in the fish product and/or the sauce so that one or more ingredients produce an undesirable burnt flavor.
Accordingly, a need exists for a method of processing gefilte fish in a tomato base sauce using a high temperature vacuum sealing process without producing a burnt flavor in the tomato base sauce or in the fish product.
A further need exists for a minced fish composition of the gefilte fish variety which, when vacuum packed at high temperatures, does not react with one or more components in the packing sauce to the point where a burnt flavor is produced in the fish product and/or its packing sauce.